This guy has been in office for 1/4 of a century! Another reason for term limits! Read on.

From the Washington Daily News

One of the state’s leading newspapers has said its time for Senate leader Marc Basnight to go, and time for new leadership in that chamber.

In a Sunday editorial, the Winston-Salem Journal noted that Basnight, D-Dare, is rapidly losing key allies in the Senate as other long-serving leaders tender their resignations.

“This would be a good time for Basnight to say goodbye, too,” the Journal opines of the Senate president pro tempore.

The editorial has prompted strong reaction from Beaufort County officials and leaders throughout northeastern North Carolina who say that Basnight has served the state and region honorably and should continue in his Senate post.

“With Basnight controlling the Senate for so long, the coastal counties have had disproportionate political influence,” the editorial also said. “Much pork has flowed to his district, and some necessary reforms stalled because of coastal opposition.”

“That’s a lie,” said Tom Thompson, director of the Beaufort County Economic Development Commission. “The coast has not had disproportionate influence in Raleigh. Everyone across the state has had fairly equal access to the office of president pro tem of the Senate.”

“No one can look at eastern North Carolina and say, ‘Look at all the gravy we’ve got’,” he said. “I’d challenge them to say where it is.”

Thompson also said that with the redrawing of state legislative districts following the 2010 Census, eastern North Carolina stands to lose political influence even if Basnight remains as Senate leader. If Basnight doesn’t stay, “eastern North Carolina is going to hear a giant sucking sound” as lawmakers from the Piedmont steer more state money to their region, he said.

Schorr Johnson, Basnight’s spokesman, responded to the Journal’s call by saying the senator answers to the people in his district and his Senate colleagues. He added that the senator was traveling out of state this week and might not have read the opinion piece in question.

An attempt to reach Basnight by phone was unsuccessful.

Johnson reiterated that Basnight intends to seek re-election.

“The people who live in the first senatorial district are the ones who elect him and then, as pro tem of the Senate, the members of the Senate elect their pro tem,” Johnson commented. “What a newspaper in Winston-Salem has to say would probably have no bearing whatsoever on his thinking or plans.”

Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, said that under Basnight’s leadership northeastern North Carolina has finally received some of the recognition that it deserves and some of the benefits of having a native son among the state’s most powerful politicians, but not at the expense of other areas of the state.

Owens represents the 1st House District which includes Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank and Tyrrell counties, which are also represented by Basnight in the state Senate.

“It’s truly ridiculous. Senator Basnight has worked tirelessly for the entire state,” Owens said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “Whoever wrote that article should be ashamed.”

Addressing regional matters, the editorial contends that it’s “time for another part of the state to enjoy the benefits that derive from having a president pro tem. Should an urban senator get the job, for example, it might be easier to shift road-construction funding formulas to give cities and suburbs a more share (sic) proportional to their populations.”

Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth, disagreed with her hometown newspaper’s assessment of Basnight in an interview with the Daily News.

Garrou, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and one of the Senate’s leaders, said Basnight should stay in the Senate “as long as he is willing to serve” and that she would “lead the charge” if Basnight opts to retain his post as Senate president pro tem.

“There will never be another president pro tem with the desire to serve North Carolina as strong as Senator Basnight,” she said. “He cares for the whole state and has set an example for the entire Senate.”

Basnight has been elected to serve 13 terms in the Senate, or, so far, about a quarter-century.

Basnight has been dogged by questions about his health recently. He has revealed that he has a rare nerve illness, though in May his doctor told the Charlotte Observer that the disease isn’t fatal and doesn’t impact the senator’s cognitive abilities.

In a recent Daily News interview, Basnight indicated that he still is fit to serve, and stated that his condition hasn’t changed over the past two years.

“It affects my coordination and my speech, and that’s what it does,” he said. “I’m the same today I was last year and two years ago, so it doesn’t change.”

Recently, Basnight has been confronted with the loss of some of his top lieutenants in the Senate, including former majority leader Tony Rand and finance co-chairman David Hoyle, D-Gaston.

Sen. R.C. Soles, D-Columbus, the longest-serving senator in the state, has announced that he won’t seek re-election.

The Daily News also sought local reaction to the Journal editorial.

“I’ve agreed with the editorial for a long time,” said Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, a Republican.

“The problem is if you want government to continue as it has in the past, with ever increasing taxes and more burdens on the citizens, then you need to vote for Sen. Basnight to stay in office,” he said.

Richardson acknowledged that Basnight’s seniority has bearing on the influence wielded by northeastern counties.

Beaufort County Commissioner Robert Cayton offered his unqualified support for Basnight.

“Eastern North Carolina has faced many challenges,” said Cayton, a Democrat. “Sen. Basnight has helped us overcome them, and we are stronger today because of his capable leadership.”

Speaking of redistricting, Cayton added, “Certainly, as we look at the 2010 Census and we see a lot of resignations in the Senate, we realize that there is going to be substantial change in the General Assembly.”

The president and Democrats are trying to shove Health Care down our throats, we all know the story and we all know why. There is no sense in rehashing the story here, and you know where the Tea Party stands.

So again, let’s flood their offices with calls, emails, letters, and if you can visit them in person. Here is a list of them for your convenience.

• Butterfield, G.K., North Carolina, 1st
• Coble, Howard, North Carolina, 6th
• Etheridge, Bob, North Carolina, 2nd
• Foxx, Virginia, North Carolina, 5th
• Jones, Walter B., North Carolina, 3rd
• Kissell, Larry, North Carolina, 8th
• McHenry, Patrick T., North Carolina, 10th
• McIntyre, Mike, North Carolina, 7th
• Miller, Brad, North Carolina, 13th
• Myrick, Sue, North Carolina, 9th
• Price, David, North Carolina, 4th
• Shuler, Heath, North Carolina, 11th
• Watt, Mel, North Carolina, 12th
• Burr, Richard, North Carolina Senator
• Hagan, Kay, North Carolina Senator

Slam them, overwhelm them, it makes no difference if they are a D or an R let them know. Especially Hagan.

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Congress gets a $250 a day Per Diem expense when they travel. This “expense” is not track-able, and they are supposed to give the rest back but seldom do. Instead they pocket it or buy paintings, and gifts. This is OUR MONEY, it’s OURS but they don’t care at all. This is nothing more than stealing.

North Carolina’s own G.K. Butterfield says that he usually pocket’s the remaining money that he has left. But “It’s only $80, $90, or $100, not much at all”. We cannot believe he actually went on record saying this, what a remarkable attitude. How cocky, how dismissive. How many of you could use $80, $90 or $100? Could anyone use that to buy groceries for their family, maybe buy gas, pay your bills? That is a lot of money.

Folks, this man needs to leave Congress. We must throw him out on his bum in November. The Tea Party is changing it’s focus to more local issues and this is one we WILL NOT FORGET! Every member should call his office in disgust and let him know to start looking for a job, just let many other North Carolinians.

If there is anyone in the 1st district and wants to help us with this story please send us an email here.

From the Winston-Salem Journal article: Filing for the 2010 elections will open Monday for federal, state and county candidates — the first time that seats for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board will be contested on a nonpartisan basis.

State legislators voted last year to make the local school-board positions nonpartisan. Forsyth County was one of a handful in North Carolina and the only urban district that still elected school-board members in a partisan fashion.

Legislators last year also approved staggered terms for the school board.

That means that beginning in 2012, five board members will be up for election to four-year terms.

The re­maining four members will be up for four-year terms in 2014. Previously, all members of the board served four-year terms and were elected at the same time.

All nine school-board seats will be up for election this year. Eight incumbents already have announced their intentions to run again.

Six seats will continue to be contested in two districts, while three members will continue to be elected on an at-large basis, representing the entire county.

This election year is shaping up to be a busy one. Besides the school board, this year’s ballot includes:

The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican. Three declared Democratic opponents to Burr, along with anyone else who files, would meet in a May 4 primary election. The Democrats who have announced plans to challenge Burr are Elaine Marshall, the N.C. secretary of state; Cal Cunningham, a lawyer who lives in Lexington and practices in Winston-Salem; and Ken Lewis, a lawyer in Chapel Hill.

Congressional seats, including the 5th and 12th districts in Northwest North Carolina. The 5th District seat is held by three-term incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican who has said that she will run for re-election. Her expected Democratic challenger, Billy Kennedy, a farmer and carpenter from Watauga County, is expected to formally announce his candidacy on Monday. The 12th District seat is held by Rep. Mel Watt, a Democrat who has served nine terms.

Representatives to the N.C. Senate and House; Forsyth County sheriff; three seats on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners; Forsyth County district attorney; three District Court judges; a Superior Court judge; and the clerk of Superior Court.

The filing period will end Feb. 26.

The primary election will be May 4 and the general election Nov. 2.